The present invention relates generally to sanitary underwear especially suitable for use with absorbent articles such as sanitary napkins, panty liners, and incontinence pads. More specifically, the present invention is most suitable for use with those absorbent articles that have underwear covering components commonly known as wings or side wrapping elements that are normally folded in between the wearers thighs and positioned externally on the underwear when the underwear is pulled up.
Absorbent articles such as sanitary napkins, panty-liners, and incontinence pads are devices that are typically worn in the crotch region of underwear. These devices are designed to absorb and retain liquid and other discharges from the human body and to prevent body and clothing soiling. Sanitary napkins are a type of absorbent article worn by women with their underwear that is normally positioned between the wearer""s legs, adjacent to the perineal area of the body. Sanitary napkins both with and without side flaps (or wings) are disclosed in the literature and are available in the marketplace.
Generally when sanitary napkins are provided with flaps, the flaps extend laterally from a central absorbent means and are intended to be folded around the edges of the wearer""s panties in the crotch region. Commonly, the flaps are provided with an attachment means for either affixing the flaps to the underside of the wearer""s panties or to the opposing flap. The flaps are generally effective for preventing exudates from soiling the edges of the wearer""s panties.
While sanitary pads having flaps are commonly viewed as providing better protection against soiling as compared to sanitary pads without flaps, some women find applying sanitary pads having flaps to be inconvenient for various reasons. For instance, some women find it to be difficult to attach the flaps to the underside of the crotch of their panties. This can be due to factors such as the tendency for the adhesive fasteners on the flaps to stick to themselves or to other parts of the sanitary napkin. Furthermore, the adhesive fasteners on the flaps also have a tendency to come unglued after an extended use and get stuck on the wearer""s skin. As a result, some women still prefer a sanitary napkin without flaps. Some women who generally prefer a sanitary napkin with flaps, occasionally (such as during periods of light flow) prefer a sanitary napkin without flaps. The patent literature provides several variations of sanitary pads having conventional flaps that attempt to solve some of these problems. Following are some of the examples:
U.S. Pat. No. 4,911,701 issued to Mavinkurve
U.S. Pat. No. 5,125,918 issued to Seidy
U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,154,715 and 5,221,275 issued to Van Iten
U.S. Pat. No. 4,940,462.
Furthermore, numerous sanitary undergarments have also been provided in prior art. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,022,212 to Lovison; U.S. Pat. No. 4,560,381 to Southwell; U.S. Pat. No. 4,690,681 to Haunschild et al.; U.S. Pat. No. 4,813,950 to Branch; U.S. Pat. No. 4,880,424 to Rautenberg and U.S. Pat. No. 5,098,419 to Gold; Roberts; U.S. Pat. No. 5,546,607 to Mary K.; U.S. Pat. No. 5,944,708 to Philpott T.; all are illustrative of such prior art. While these units may be suitable for the particular purpose to which they address, they do not attempt to solve the problems associated with sanitary pads with wings.
A need exists for a hygienic underwear that is comfortable, attractive and appropriate for use by adult and adolescent women and is similar in general appearance and feel to conventional panties. In particular, a need exists for an underwear which can conveniently and efficiently solve the problems faced by the wearer when attempting to attach the wings or flaps of a sanitary pad to the underside of the wearer""s panties. Furthermore, there exists a need for an underwear that provides a way to keep the flaps tucked in place for a long time, away from the wearers skin, while still providing the protection of side flaps. Furthermore, there also exists a need for underwear which reduces shifting of the sanitary pad with wings to a minimum when worn by the wearer.
The present invention is sanitary underwear used with an absorbent article, such as a sanitary napkin that has a pair of panty covering components (or side wrapping elements). The present invention is especially meant to provide coverage to the wearer""s panties to reduce staining of the edges of the panty crotch (or side soiling) when the underwear is pulled up adjacent to the wearer""s body.
Another object of the present invention is to provide underwear which is worn with an absorbent article, such as a sanitary napkin with wings or flap extensions and provide coverage to the wearer""s panties to reduce side soiling (i.e., staining of the edges of the panty crotch).
It is another object of the present invention to provide underwear to be used with an absorbent article, such as a sanitary napkin with flaps that folds around the sides of the wearer""s panties yet away from the wearer""s skin.
It is yet another object of the present invention to provide underwear that allows the wings or the flaps in a sanitary pad to fold around the sides of the wearer""s panties for an extended period of time.
It is still another object of the present invention to provide a underwear that reduces crumpling and other types of transverse deformation usually experienced by the wearer of a sanitary napkin with wings.
These and other objects of the present invention will be more readily apparent when considered in reference to the following description and when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.